Who is Katie Piper, Her Husband or Boyfriend, What Led to Her Acid Attack?

One of the worst things that can happen to anyone who ply his or her trade in an industry where beauty is a prized possession will be bodily harm/injury that can mar the individual’s good looks. If such ever occurs, it most certainly would mark the end of that individual’s career in the beauty industry and perhaps in any other line of work that puts them constantly before the public. Katie Piper was a former model who this fate befell, however, while it has marked her exit from the modeling industry, it has in no small way made her a champion creating awareness about what befell her and ultimately putting her on the limelight.

Her story is an interesting one starting from who she is, the career she pursued to her relationship life and ultimately why she became a victim of an acid attack. Find out all about it here including what has become of her assailants.

Who is Katie Piper?

Katie Piper is a television presenter, writer, activist and philanthropist who was before all these a model and web-TV presenter. She was born on 12 October 1983 in Andover, Hampshire to David and Diane Piper (parents) and has as her siblings Paul (brother) and Suzy Piper (sister). As a little girl, Katie schooled at Harrow Way School and Portway Junior School. On graduation, she began to train as a beautician in hopes of carving out a career in the fashion and beauty industry; Katie was possibly taking after her father who was himself a barber.

The former model began her career taking part in various fashion and promotional photoshoots including modeling for some national newspapers. She worked as a ring-card girl, which made her famous in the Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) world. While doing all these, Katie Piper also competed in beauty pageants most notable of which was Miss Winchester 2006 beauty pageant where she emerged as the 2nd runner-up. In the course of time, she began working on a digital television as a presenter anchoring shows on web-TV.

However, all these changed following an acid attack she suffered in 2008 in the hands of a psychopath. Katie Piper is now a television personality, author and philanthropist who is fervently creating awareness for burn victims. She went public with her acid attack on television in October 2009 on Channel 4 when a documentary about her titled Katie: My Beautiful Face was aired. The documentary was reportedly watched by more than 3 million people and even got a BAFTA nomination. Continuing, she featured on a television series in 2010 titled 20/20 which was produced by ABC, in the same year, she appeared on Katie: My Beautiful Friends on Channel 4. Her other TV appearances include Strictly Come Dancing, Celebrity Deal or No Deal, and The Vanessa Show. Talk shows she has been on include ‘BBC Breakfast’ and ‘Live From Studio Five’ with many more to come.

On the other hand, Piper published her autobiography titled “Beautiful” in 2011 and has set up a foundation named Katie Piper Foundation which caters for the financial needs of burn victims and others suffering from disfigurement.

What Led to Her Acid Attack?

Though Katie Piper was relatively famous with her job as a ring-card girl in the MMA, many people outside the fighting sports got to know of her following the heart-wrenching acid attack she suffered in March 2008. Everyone who heard the story and/or has even seen the footage are all curious to know what led up to the acid attack. Here is what we know

It happened that while Katie Piper was working in the MMA, she met a certain Daniel Lynch on Facebook, a martial arts enthusiast but at best a psychopath. The two were reported to have first met in Reading, Berkshire where Katie was working at the time. Daniel seemed harmless at first and they soon kicked off their friendship. Two weeks after they first met, the duo stayed over at a hotel in Bayswater after eating out on the 29th of March 2008. It was while they were in their hotel room that Lynch began to morph into the beast that he is.

He raped and beat Katie, further threatened to cut her with a razor and hang her. As if the rape and threats weren’t enough, the psycho stabbed her severally on her arm and still did not allow her to leave the hotel. Eight hours later, they both left the hotel and drove to Piper’s place in Golders Green, a London Borough of Barnet. Afterward, she got treated for her wounds at Royal Free Hospital. While her treatment went on, she refused to disclose to the hospital and the police what caused her the injuries fearing that Daniel Lynch will do worse.

Well, yes he did do worse but didn’t have to wait till he reported her. As Katie Piper recovered, she got several phone calls of apologies from Daniel and soon accepted his apologies. On the 31st of March 2008, he coaxed her to go to an internet cafe and see a message he had sent her on Facebook. As she set out innocently to go see the message, Daniel had already given her details to a certain Stefan Sylvestre who would attack her with a cup of sulphuric acid on Golders Green Road. As captured on camera, wearing a hoodie to conceal his identity, Stefan approached Katie who was oblivious of his intentions, he quickly threw the cup of acid on her face and made a dash in the streets while Katie ran into a nearby cafe where she stayed till an ambulance came.

She accidentally swallowed a bit of the acid while the others severely burnt her face and damaged her left eye. Katie got treated at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital by a team of doctors led by Dr. Mohammad Ali Jawad with a pioneering procedure done in a single operation. Her treatment had her stay in an induced coma for 12 days, passed through 40 surgeries and wore a plastic face mask for 23 hours every day for 2 years. The rest of her treatments were completed in a clinic in Southern France.

For her assailants, Daniel Lynch got two life sentences, and a minimum of 16 years behind bars while Stefan Sylvestre got a life sentence with a minimum of 6 years behind bars. However, after 9 years of the sentencing, Stefan’s appeal for parole was approved in 2018. He reportedly expressed empathy to Piper and felt remorse and shame for his actions.

Her Husband or Boyfriend

Katie Piper and husband

Since after the attack, Katie Piper has moved on with life and even found love in the eyes of another man, a man with a human heart. She has no boyfriend but is rather married to Richard James Sutton who works as a carpenter. The duo had their first child Belle Elizabeth in March 2014, got engaged in December 2014 before getting married on November 6, 2015. After their marriage, she bore their second daughter on December 13, 2017, and they have continued to live happily together as husband and wife.